The present invention relates to a card edge connector assembly in which daughter boards are mounted, and more specifically, to a card edge connector assembly which has two daughter board accommodating recesses.
Electrical connectors used for module boards in which two daughter boards are stacked in horizontal positions, as disclosed in Japanese Patent No. 3022230, are known as card edge connector assemblies of the type accommodating two daughter boards. Such electrical connectors have a housing in which the positions of the card accommodating parts are shifted so that the upper module board or daughter board is accommodated further to the rear than the lower module board. As a result, the positions of the latch members that respectively anchor the upper and lower module boards are shifted so that the latch members that anchor the upper module board are avoided when the lower module board is inserted or pulled out.
In the art described above, although the positions of the upper latch members are shifted when the lower module board is inserted first, the lower module board must be inserted within a narrow space between the upper latch members and the lower latch members. In order to increase the insertion angle of the module boards, tapers are formed on portions of the housing so that the housing does not interfere with the daughter boards. Care must still be taken, however, in order to avoid interference between the lower module board and the upper latch members. Thus, the working characteristics of the insertion and removal of the lower module board are poor.
The present invention provides a card edge connector assembly that allows easy mounting and removal of the daughter board that is inserted first (between two daughter boards).
One embodiment of the present invention provides a card edge connector assembly equipped with an insulating housing that is attached to a mother board. The housing has two parallel daughter board accommodating recesses that extend parallel to the longitudinal axis. A first and second pair of latch members are disposed parallel to the longitudinal axis near both end parts of the housing in positions corresponding to the daughter board accommodating recesses.
This embodiment is constructed so that when a first daughter board is inserted into the first daughter board accommodating recesses at an inclination with respect to the housing, and is rotated, the daughter board engages with the first or lower pair of latch members. A second daughter board is mounted in the second of the daughter board accommodating recesses. The second or upper pair of latch members used for the second daughter board are attached to the housing so that the second pair of latch members can be rotated in such a manner that the second pair of latch members are withdrawn to the outside of the insertion path of the first daughter board. Accordingly, the second pair of latch members used for the second daughter board do not interfere when the first daughter board is inserted, rotated and mounted in the assembly, or when the first daughter board is removed from the assembly, so that the angle of insertion or removal of the daughter board can be increased.
The term xe2x80x9coutside of the insertion pathxe2x80x9d refers to the area not occupied by the daughter board during the movement of the daughter board in the series of operations extending from the insertion of the daughter board into the housing at an inclination through the rotation and engagement of the daughter board with the latch members. The terms xe2x80x9cfirst daughter boardxe2x80x9d and xe2x80x9csecond daughter boardxe2x80x9d refer respectively to the daughter boards that are first and second in terms of the order of insertion of the daughter boards into the housing of the assembly.
In another embodiment of the present invention, the housing has supporting parts positioned so that when the latch members for the second daughter board are withdrawn, the latch members remain in a withdrawn state. By maintaining the latch members in a withdrawn stage, the mounting or removal of the first daughter board can be easily accomplished, because there is no need to press the latch members used for the second daughter board by hand.
In another embodiment of the present invention, the card edge connector assembly is equipped with an insulating housing that is attached to a mother board. The housing has two parallel daughter board accommodating recesses that extend in the direction of length and a first and second pair of latch members which are disposed in the direction of length near both end parts of the housing in positions corresponding to the daughter board accommodating recesses.
This embodiment is constructed so that when a first daughter board is inserted into the first of the daughter board accommodating recesses at an inclination with respect to the housing, and is rotated, the first daughter board engages with the first pair of latch members. A second daughter board is similarly mounted in the second of the daughter board accommodating recesses where the second pair of latch members used for the second daughter board are connected to each other by a connecting member so that the second pair of latch members are formed into a sub-assembly The sub-assembly is attached to the housing by means of the latch members used for the second daughter board so that the sub-assembly can be withdrawn to the outside of the insertion path of the first daughter board. The sub-assembly can be withdrawn to the outside of the insertion path of the first daughter board so that there is no need for the separate rotation of one pair of latch members, further facilitating the rotating operation.
In another embodiment of the present invention, the connecting member has an overstress-preventing means, which prevents overstress in the latch members used for the second daughter board. The overstress-preventing means prevents the latch members from losing their function as a result of excessive deformation. The overstress-preventing means may also consist of openings that accommodate protruding parts on the latch members of the sub-assembly.
In another embodiment of the present invention, the housing has a supporting part positioned so that when the sub-assembly is withdrawn, the sub-assembly remains in a withdrawn state. When the housing has a supporting part, there is no need to hold the sub-assembly in a withdrawn state by pressing the sub-assembly by hand. Accordingly, the mounting and removal of the first daughter board can be easily accomplished.